Thursday, May 26, 2011

*pheleshia will be waiting and watching each week with all of you, log in to discuss all the drama-filled episodes!*

Returning to New Jersey for another highly anticipated season of RHONJ. We find our regular players: Caroline, Teresa and Jacqueline -- minus Danielle. So, where are we going to find our drama? Who is going to be the scapegoat? I guess Danielle just couldn't take it anymore. One can only guess who may ignite the fire as two new faces, Melissa (Teresa's sister-inlaw) and Kathy (Teresa's first cousin) are added to the Real Housewives mix! It doesn't take even five minutes to see that Danielle is not needed for drama to erupt. Teresa's family takes on this task and executes it quite well I might add! As adults, they couldn't have addressed their family members in a more appropriate manner at a baby christening. Teresa's brother and his wife's side of the family showed no class, but then again neither did Teresa's husband! I'm saddened by the events that took place not because of the fact that I'm on anyone's side, but because it seems as though no one calls the wrongs done by anyone on either side of the family drawn battle lines. From the conversations between the family members it seems as though this animosity towards each other has been brewing for sometime. Why didn't they have a Sunday sit down? The intensity of the fight at the christening seems to make a statement that a sit down may not be an option. Aside from saddened, I also get a bit angry at the excuses that are used pertaining to the relationship between Teresa's brother and father. I don't understand how someone can make excuses about not being close to their parent that they love so much because of another. Nothing could keep me away from my parents! Interestingly enough, I don't see where he is distanced by his father. I guess we will see as the season progresses. The season opener focused on how Teresa and her family keep talking about each other. It is obvious that they want to be close. Melissa kept identifying the things that Teresa did wrong the day of the christening, but acted as if she cared nothing for Teresa. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't consistently talk about people I don't like. We can say that they talk about each other as a spin for the show, but I believe that it's something they do all the time! This season seems as though it is going to focus on family ties, mainly with Teresa's family, and the things that happen everyday in reality. I hope that over time Teresa's family can resolve their discord, but I know it's not something that is going to happen on camera. What I hope to see this season is the interaction between all the ladies and their friends/families and how the introduction of Teresa's family members plays out. Nevertheless, I hope the new cast members and the tie to Teresa does not overshadow story lines of the other NJ housewives!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Picture it: a "disturbed" man holds his family (a wife and two young sons) for hostage. The police are called and a stand off ensues. For about an hour and a half, the family suffered from what must have been the most horrifying moments of their lives, their husband and father shooting at the police and neighboring vehicles. He even shoots a cop in the shoulder. Surely this man must have had a death wish. Thankfully, the family was released and unfortunately for the hostage taker, he was shot and killed by a sniper. The story should begin and end there, but it does not. Just days after this incident, we learn that there was a lift on the shoot-to-kill orders once it was learned that the family was safe and out of the house. The sniper was unaware of this fact and took the shot within seconds of the new command. So a man is dead, and even though he did bad things, he didn't have to die. He could have been taken down in an alternative way and brought to justice in a courtroom instead of a casket.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Celebrity Apprentice is over, but not before the final show and live finale is complete. The final task of course was to design a 7Up can and create a marketing campaign for 7Up Retro. Marlee had to use a 70's theme, while Rich had to transport us to the 80's. I loved both of their final results. John Rich's can had a black and white zebra striped design, to replicate the skin tight printed leggings worn by many a hair band back in the day. Marlee's can was bright and bubbly, reminiscent of the disco era. It's nice to know that although there is only one winner, both cans will be produced and sold in stores. And that winner is, (drum roll, please) Mr. John Rich! Congrats to him and Marlee as well. This was a record breaking season, as millions of dollars were raised for just John and Marlee's charities alone. It was a proud fight, carried out with dignity and hard work. It was nice to see all the past contestants join the final two in support of their efforts, it was disappointing though, to see NeNe Leakes and Star continue their combat, live in front of millions. I know Star tries her best to be professional and upstanding, but with NeNe barking up her tree, she lost her composure a little and it was unfortunate to see. So let the cat fight continue, on and off camera, and let us all join in congratulating the new Celebrity Apprentice, John Rich for a great game and an impressive win.

*If you're watching the hit show Mob Wives, read pheleshia's weekly recap and let her know what you think of the show!*

As we re-enter the world of Mob Wives, the center of attention seems to focus on Renee. Our "drama queen" takes the girls out for dinner to reconnect and have a few laughs. I'm beginning to feel though that there is a separation forming. It seems as if it's (in Renee's words) the "skinny bitches" versus Renee and Karen. I truly see an alliance forming; which I am almost certain will play out by the end of this season. The other interesting part of this night out was the fact that Renee seemed to be having so much fun....but still focused on what her ex-husband would say. Why Renee??? Was he thinking of you when he started dating other women? I begin to wonder is this type of relationship a typical part of Mob culture or is it just a woman/man thing? What would happen if you decided to start dating someone? After Renee goes to get the dry skin scraped off of her face, one thing I would say they wouldn't like is the procedure she had done! How is it beneficial when you have to walk around looking like someone or something carved your face up and left it bloody!!! I had mixed emotions about the procedure but then again to each his own...who am I too judge. I'm just saying I would never do it! She was truly brave for getting that done. Other parts of the show that drew attention focused on the ongoing relationships between the ladies and their current or past significant others. We saw, as I said before, Renee briefly focus on her ex-husband, Karen told her daughters father that she was going to start dating, Carla explained her relationship with her boyfriend and Drita made up with her husband. As Drita and her husband made up the focus turns from their interactions to the fact that Karen is writing her book and it may include the infamous Lee! Wasn't it such a coincidence that as Drita wanted to address this with Karen, Karen wants to FINALLY tell Drita how she has felt about the backstabbing in the past. I mean, it's only about time. However, we may have also just seen editing at it's best again. I mean who truly knows when all of these conversations take place. We just see what THEY want us to see. The conversation turns ugly as Drita warns against Karen writing about her husband in the book and Karen expresses her feelings in a not so nice manner. I could see the veins popping out of Drita's neck! She needs to be careful before her anger impacts her health! This situation seems to draw a slight visible battle line between the ladies that may turn them (i.e. Renee and Karen vs. Drita and Carla) agaimst each other in real life! We see next week as the ladies have a sit down dinner once again. This time, however, there is no laughter and dancing.....only screams and punching! Can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Friday, May 20, 2011

I was just as shocked as Haley when Ryan didn't call her name. Her face was priceless, shock and anger, and maybe a little attitude as Lauren turned to embrace her when the results were announced. Scotty was never an issue for me or the voters, he breezed right into the final 2 and was the first to be called to safety. That left Haley and Lauren and I was really pulling for Haley. The difference between her and Lauren is like comparing a high fashion model to a pageant queen. Lauren is polished and clean, singing her safe country ballads like a pro -- teen-aged yet seasoned. But Haley is edgy and wild, her scratchy voice was jazzy and modern. She took chances and belted out songs that were reminiscent of an old blues singer trapped in a young girl's body. Can you tell I'm a fan? Haley will be missed. Now it's country boy vs. country girl. The young and the popular. While both are extremely talented, I predict Scotty will take it all the way. Either way, I'm not particularly excited about this finale. I haven't been overly interested since Jacob started losing momentum and was ultimately voted off. I will be watching next week though, finales can be intriguing and fun and I can't say I'm not a bit curious as to who the winner will be. So meet me here next week and we can discuss the results!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Finally we hear them sing! And I have to admit, the Braxton sisters ain't too shabby when it comes to laying down the vocals. Of course, they were singing The Lord's Prayer like it was an old negro spiritual, but their harmonies were on point and they really did sound good together. So it's obvious that the focus of this week's show is that the girls want to record an album. Tamar is even willing to put her hopes of a solo career aside and dedicate herself to such a project. Traci is all too excited because she's the sister that was left behind after becoming pregnant and starting a family. She never got to realize her dreams to be on that big stage, singing to the masses. So everyone's in and ready to get to work, except for maybe the most important piece to the puzzle and that would be Toni Braxton herself. We learn that the sisters released an album as a singing group, but as it goes with many ensembles, the powers that be only wanted Toni. Toni recalls her mother's voice hanging over her all these years, "Don't forget your sisters!" She is ever loyal to her sisters and always worried about leaving them behind, and throughout her entire career she made a vow to never do that. She explains though, that because of this oath made to herself and her mother, she has missed out on the experience of living this by herself and for herself. She gracefully declines to do the album. And the remaining sisters are devastated. Aside from this we see more of an insider's view of Towanda and Trina's personal lives. Something that I was missing in the last several episodes where I felt Tamar was getting way too much face time. So someone out there was listening and this week we see Towanda's struggle to provide for her family while her husband watches and waits to be told what to do. It really is sad seeing her have to hold the whole world on her shoulders and her husband is so used to it, I don't think he would know what to do if the responsibilities were ever truly turned over to him. Towanda claims she wants her man to be a provider but she acts as an enabler by making all the family decisions and carrying him along with the rest of her burdens. When Towanda and her family are forced to move from their home, she packs everyone up, including her husband, and they all move in to Toni's house. The wear on Towanda, being Toni's personal assistant and the wife of a ne'erdowell is starting to strain on her and she does make a decision to give Toni notice. Trina's marriage has been in trouble as well. According to her, she's been married to her husband for 7 years and he's been cheating for 5 of them. He denies it but does admit he stepped outside the marriage via the internet... So we follow the two of them as they go house hunting. They've come to the decision that in order to leave the past behind them, they must forge ahead in a new environment and the sisters are called in for support as usual. It was good to see a Braxton other than Tamar be profiled, but we have undoubtedly not heard the last of her, afterall, there will be another show next week.

It's that time of the season when the series ends and the cast must meet again. Overly styled and severely made up, the women of Love and Hip Hop convened at a swanky New York venue. Angie Martinez, radio DJ and terrible reunion host, mediated the conversations which were popularly familiar. As the show only aired for 6 episodes, it wasn't hard to forget the most memorable moments and pinpointed drama segments since they only just happened more towards the end of the series. There was Fab's absence from the show and Emily's life; Jim Jones and his crew aggressively "approaching" Somaya's manager regarding some mess he was talking; Olivia's song, "December" (yawn), Rich Dollaz aggressively "approaching" Somaya regarding some mess she was talking, and of course, Chrissy's proposal to Jim Jones. Jim Jones' mother, Nancy, stole the show as she expressed her disdain for Chrissy's surprise. She made valid points in that, traditionally speaking, one should ask the parents' permission for requesting their mate's hand in marriage. But nothing about what Chrissy did was traditional anyway. She bought the ring, she popped the question, she disrespectfully screams at her future mother-in-law (and she's still unmarried and "living in sin"). Perhaps the most amusing event of the evening came when Angie asked Jimmy where his engagement ring was and he told a candid story about how he was at the gym and he never wears jewelry at the gym, he always takes it off and puts all his jewelry away in a safe place because he never wears it at the gym -- meanwhile if you were in the front row of that audience you'd need a pair of shades to hide your eyes from the bling bling blow of all Jim's ice. It looked to me as if he had on every piece of jewelry he owned EXCEPT the ring Chrissy gave him. And like my favorite Etta James tune from the movie "Cadillac Records", all Chrissy could do at that point was cry.Then there was Rich Dollaz, Olivia's manager. He must still be worried about his money because he's still feeling upset and irritable when it comes to Somaya. If your artist is busy and doing big thimgs, you shouldn't have time for that nonsense. The more exposure she gets, the greater the critique. You certainly can't expect to fight every non-fan and battle with everyone who feels they want to be critical of Olivia as a person and/or her work. That definitely was not a good look for Rich and his client. Olivia also made herself look poorly by going to toe-to-toe with Emily. We all know and see Emily's situation. Still, Olivia sees fit to call Emily out for being Fabolous' girlfriend when she's never seen the two of them together or has always seen "Fab" out with girls who are not Emily. I feel this doesn't compare to Olivia's silly little fantasy that she is dating a football player, who denies that they are involved at all. Emily argues that they are in the same boat, but I disagree. Emily's boat is much smaller and has a hole in it. Because there are children involved, it makes the situation that much more heavy. Lastly, of course, what would a good reunion be without a few people storming off the stage and Jim Jones' mother basically telling Olivia she is non-existent in her eyes. And with that -- the season is officially over, but never fear all you Love and Hip Hop heads, Angie announced there will be a season two.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Funny how the name of a baby created as the result of a marital affair is: love child. How romantic. For example, man cheats on wife, gets mistress pregnant, mistress gives birth to a bouncing baby "love child". Now you tell me, what does love got to do with that? When I first heard the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were splitting up after 25 years, I questioned it. I wondered how two people could form and then remain in a union for a quarter of a century and then decide it just wasn't doable anymore. Less than a week later, after asking for respect and privacy, the pair have made statements regarding a love child. Apparently, the Terminator impregnated a member of the family's staff members, hid the child and took care of it financially for the last 10 years and all the while, Maria never knew a thing! I imagine this person as a housekeeper or personal secretary, someone who had free reign to Ms. Shriver's home and family, and mistook that free reign as a free pass to Ms. Shriver's husband as well. I'm disgusted by my visions of the Governator and his maid romping naked through the sprawling halls of the Schwarzenegger mansion while his wife is out on a fundraiser or cheering for one of their 4 kids at a soccer game. To slip up and make a mistake is human, but to cheat, lie and make babies is a choice each individual can choose or not choose to make. And we all know that once you lie, the only way to succeed by that lie is to continue the deception and make it your truth. Of course, we don't really know what was going on inside those people's real lives, or what the dynamic was behind their closed doors. And even if they all write tell-all bestseller books, we still won't know the whole truth. What I do know is reality can be faked, but the real world is real. You make a baby outside of my 15 year (at the time) marriage, tell me then, don't tell me now, when the kid is a pre-teen and I'm 10 years older. They say the truth hurts, if that is true, I wonder what a lie does. Oh yeah, it kills the spirit and destroys the soul. By lying and cheating and hiding the truth from his wife, Arnold took her rights to live in a self-made way. I pick the truth any day, give me a chance to decide the next 10 years of my life with a clean slate and an honest outlook.

After being interviewed by 3 past CA winners, Lil John and Meatloaf were fired this week. Joan Rivers, Piers Morgan and Brett Michaels made an appearance to help Donald Trump widdle his Final Four down to just two finalists. Lil John was asked the age old question: Who should win? And he made the age old mistake by not including himself. He answered by saying John rich and Marlee Matlin should win because they made the most money. No one wins these type of shows without being confident and sure of themselves. and then there's Meatloaf, who couldn't stop crying and crying... and crying. He was fired for emotional vulnerability and alas, we have a task! Marlee and John must come up with a marketing campaign for 7 Up Retro, using themes from the 70's and 80's respectively. Of course, past players were brought back to assist the two and were chosen in a school yard pick. Latoya Jackson, Meatloaf and Richard Hatch went to team Marlee while Star, Lil John and Mark McGrath played with John Rich. I thought both teams got off to an amazing start, brainstorming and doing their best to work well together. John Rich was able to secure Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, as an undeniable icon of the 80's this was a very smart call. On the other hand, Marlee wasn't doing too shabby herself, recruiting Geoffrey Holder, THE voice of 7 Up (the un-cola) in the 70's. Now it's time to shoot the commercial and design a new can and for the campaign, but this wouldn't be good TV without a snag in the process. On one side, Lil Jon is running out of steam and John Rich is running out of time. Meanwhile, Marlee's team is devastated with the news that Geoffrey Holder will not be making his appearance due to contractual issues! We'll have to find out at the finale next week whether or not Team Marlee will be able to pull this off, as having Mr. Holder there would truly be an exceptional and irreplaceable part to her quest for the title.

Tonight the Real World was quiet and almost boring. The only interesting story line focused on the on and off again relationship between Heather and Dustin. While Mike looked for "love", Nany searched for her biological father and Naomi and Leroy spent time out of the spotlight. Heather spent time confusing Dustin and the RW viewers. The roller coaster ride during the episode began when Heather was told of the "kiss"that took place in last weeks episode between Dustin and Cooke. Not only was her reaction to the situation interesting, but so was the way in which she found out. Why did Cooke think she could trust Nany? I guess liquor doesn't enable rational thinking! How are you going to be upset that she told? She's NOT your friend! Even those that you call friends don't seem to keep your secrets. Heather addresses this with Dustin and Cooke in an argument that fizzles as soon as it starts. Why argue though Heather? I thought you didn't want him! As the episode progressed, we saw her continue to move between being with Dustin versus not being with him. It seemed as though this every time she was seen with liquor, her next step was to be seen with Dustin. He seemed just as confused as the rest of us. As Dustin tries to express his concern and confusion, he seems to allow his ongoing feelings for Heather over power anything standing in the way. I feel as though he is playing with fire. Yes HE did not tell her about his past and YES he kissed Cooke, but how would that make Heather justified in her actions? You can't just walk around thinking that it's okay to play with peoples emotions! Leroy...yes once again LEROY keeps it real and makes a statement identifying the fact that Heather does in fact know exactly what she is doing. I know she may be confused but nothing stands in the way of her knowing that she is playing with someone else's emotions. I can only hope that she realizes this and refrains from it in the future. Next week the show gets kicked back into high gear as the roommates take a trip to Cancun, Mexico. This trip is not only going to include the sizzling heat but the inferno that we can call Mike and Dustin, as they go to war in Cancun!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

When I first heard the news that a child had been killed in a hit and run at a local park that I myself used to frequent, my heart immediately broke for the family. I was enraged by the fact that someone could run someone over and run away, literally, exiting the vehicle and taking off on foot. A few hours later though, the 19 year old unlicensed driver turned himself in and then a few more details began to become available. The boy was only 3 years old and had been playing with dandelions in the grass. Blowing the seeds and watching them fly. His uncle was interviewed on the news and remorsefully admitted that the child was crossing the street to get to him when he was struck by a speeding car. Now, the car did stop, but according to the driver's lawyer, a hostile crowd began to approach causing the driver to be in fear for his life. Only 19, afraid and panicking, he did, very irresponsibly, leave the scene of the accident. And it was just that. An accident. It hurts my soul to know a baby is dead. Only 3 years old, he's barely even lived. But I have no choice but to ask why this boy was allowed to cross a street by himself -- even with an uncle waiting on the other side? Why didn't the uncle instead cross the street toward his nephew, being an adult and someone much more capable of completing the act safely? I don't understand. This was an accident. And the driver did turn himself in. He ran because he was afraid of the mob who was allegedly coming after him. And the proof of this mob was apparent the next day when the whole courtroom had to be cleared at his arraignment. Members of the 3 year old's family yelled and shouted, they called for justice. They were forced out of the courtroom and made to calm down. The driver's attorney can most certainly use this behaviour to demonstrate exactly what his client was facing after the little boy was run over. The father of the 3 year old made a statement that he would kill the driver if he ever catches him. There are always two sides to every story, this I know. I suppose the driver should be punished for operating without a license and possibly speeding through the park, if that is in fact what he was doing, but the real punishment here is a permanent one. These people will never see their precious baby again. The lessons to be learned will also live forever and hopefully will be the reason a mother holds her baby's hand a little tighter, and we all take a little time to look both ways before we judge or condemn anyone.

Hold your Harleys everybody, James Durbin was voted off of the American Idol Stage! So many thought he would win, including the judges themselves who, on more than one occasion, deemed Durbin THE winner. The message boards went wild, many proclaiming to "never watch this show again". They cried, they ranted, they were speechless, but still found the words to express their disappointment in America. Each week, as a favorite goes home, somewhere it is declared, that you, America -- got it wrong. And somewhere still, it is being announced that this will be the last season someone out there will ever watch American Idol. Ever! My simplistic take is that each week, someone must go. If they all stayed, there'd be no winner, now would there? I must admit, seeing, Lauren and Haley safe on one side, and James and Scotty in the bottom 2 on the other side, I thought for sure it would be James. He rocks the stage each week, he represents for those living with Tourette syndrome as well as the autistic children of America. He gives us several different angles and many reasons to vote for him. But I don't know how or why in that moment I could forget my theory on the popular country vote. There is much strength and influence in that genre, and I have always believed each week as Scotty stayed, that it was more the region and the culture that was keeping him on top, more so than the teenaged girls that most believe are responsible for the majority of the voting. So the final 3 is as follows; Haley, the bluesy, Janis Joplin-esque screecher, Lauren, the young potential power house, and Scotty the body, the blue eyed, Elvis fan who can sing it fast or sing it slow, but mostly we just like it when he sings it low.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Former House speaker and Republican Newt Gingrich began his presidential campaign this week. He says "the right policies lead to the right results" and argues that Obama is basically giving us the opposite of that. So far, it all sounds the same to me. This country has seen some of it's highest unemployment levels with Obama as its leader, while our deficit continues to weigh us down. Some would try to reason that Obama inherited the country in a bad state, battered and broken after 8 years of a Bush administration. Others may say Obama made many campaign promises to repair and restore America and 2 years into his presidency, he has yet to make good on them. Gingrich promises to change the path that he claims Obama is taking us down, he's going to cut taxes and create new jobs. He states, "President Obama is the most successful food stamp president in American history, I would like to be the most successful paycheck president in American history.” Now come on, I get. Comparing paychecks to food stamps. It's catchy. It's a gimmick. Hey you middle class, which would you rather choose? But food stamp president didn't sit right with me and then I remembered why. I pictured that Republican newsletter that published a mock food stamp with Obama's face represented, surrounded by chicken, watermelon, Kool-Aid... Need I say more? If you haven't seen this offensive display, I will post it for you and you can come to your own conclusion. In this age of over-used political correctness, it can be very easy to innocently displease a person or a group of folks, and now that we have a black president, the word racist has been used almost any and every time a white person or Republican speaks negatively of him. I see this, and I think I do pretty well at knowing the difference, but sometimes we have to call it what it is. There have been one time too many instances when respected leaders and voices people listen to have toed that line. Was it a guiltless remark or blatant racism? When Donald Trump said that President Obama should stop playing basketball and start lowering gas prices, did he say that because of the stereotype surrounding tall black men or because the president does in fact play basketball? Was that racist? Subliminal racism, maybe? You can slide that one by because look -- there he is -- playing basketball! Trump wins. I'm not even going to touch the birther movement. Demanding to see short forms and long forms of the president's birth certificate, questioning his social security number, just drooling for a chance to be able to prove that Obama was born in raised in some African jungle, making him ineligible to lead the most powerful country in the world. No luck there. No luck, but just a tinge of racism. And we remember way back when our Vice President Joe Biden said Obama himself was "articulate and clean" for a black guy. Ouch. That hurt back then, it still stings now because of the so many others that still think that exact same way. Mainstream, articulate and bright, yup -- and he's clean. And now Newt Gingrich calls Barack Obama the food stamp president. Is it because of the country's economic distress? Could be. But when it doesn't sound right and doesn't feel right, deep down where it's supposed to resonate and feel ... right, does that not make it a duck? ( Or in this case, a chicken?)

Mob Wive's begins as Drita tries to make up with Renee, Karen begins to show her true colors as an instigator and Carla plays on the sidelines (as usual)! Somewhere in between I anxiously await to see the outcome of the argument that is too take place as Renee's ex-husband comes to her rescue. Tensions begin to mount in the very beginning of the show when Renee is reminded by Karen what Drita had said the night of Carla's party. You know... the statement where Drita said that she was going to wring Renee's "dumb **** neck". In this situation if I'm wrong to say instigator let me know! Why did Karen choose to say that as Renee was going to have dinner with Drita? Is Karen jealous? Karen states that she shouldn't have reminded Renee... I don't believe it! I feel that Karen has plans that includes her wanting to be the HBIC. That's possibly her focus along with her writing her book. I feel as though she has a plan to divide and conquer! She did in fact say that she would take Renee's side in a battle! What battle? She must mean the one she may be a part of creating due to continued to feelings of betrayal from Drita. I can't wait to see what could be the premise of a battle between herself and Carla! Nevertheless, after psychic intervention, Renee invites Drita for a sit down to resolve their issues. Now why did it take a psychic to tell her to have a sit down with Drita (or the "Aquarius"?) You want to end bad karma but you just don't know how too, so you need a psychic to tell you? I guess only in mob land! The outcome of the meeting between Renee and Drita turned out well. I must say though, Drita has SOME REALLY BAD ANGER ISSUES! I think I could give her a diagnosis and a referral to see a therapist -- it's that serious. I could never imagine saying to someone that I felt like driving my car through their house! As the episode came to a close, we saw an example of the closeness that still exists between Renee and her ex-husband as he came to her defense. This was gentleman-like of him, but weren't you just arrested in the last episode? Does the word "FEDS" ring a bell to you? Renee should have known better, but I guess it's hard for someone who still considers themselves a "mob princess". Karen put it best when she said that Renee needs to get away from that mentality. In the end we see the disagreement play out in a mature manner and as the credits roll we get a first look at next week episode. Yet another fight seems to ensue, this time between Drita and Karen over the contents of Karen's book! Do we really need to fight over the stuff that may be coming to light anyway due to the show?

Thursday, May 12, 2011

When viewing the Braxton Family Values show, it feels more like I'm watching "Tamar's World." And then it's just an endless hour of Tamar whining and saying, "Look at me! Look at me!" I don't understand why the editors of the show approve for Tamar to get so much face time while the other sisters' lives and storylines are held back and only given to us in the smallest of increments. We all know Toni Braxton was and still is in her own respects a major R&B superstar diva. we know that she's been ill with Lupus and has even suffered bankruptcy when she was unable to work and fell on financial hardship. Towanda is the "responsible one" who is Toni's personal assistant. She has two cute little kids and a non-chalant husband, but we never truly get to see Towanda for who she really is. Her character has only been shown as the one who tried to hold it all together. It's very superficial, and I would love to see and know more about the level headed sister who could be falling apart on the inside. We've seen Trina, who the show has labeled the "party girl". She seems to have a slight drinking problem, enough so that the sisters even held an intervention for her with the family therapist. She's also in a troubled marriage that I think she wants to save, but I'm not too sure. We get a glimpse of the effort to repair her marital troubles this week when she and her husband visit the therapist and discuss some issues. The segment doesn't last for long however, and the plot is never fully developed. It could be that Trina and her husband didn't want the cameras rolling for every little detail of their counseling session, but my point is, when it comes to the other sisters, this show gives us so little! I'm not even going to mention Traci too much, because the show certainly doesn't. Meanwhile there's Tamar, Tamar, Tamar. She wants to be a solo act. She wants to be a big star. She doesn't want to sing background for Toni. She wants so much to be the opposite of Toni, that she's willing to walk around damned near butt naked to prove that she's NOT her classy, more refined sibling. Tamar's husband, Vince, plays more of a fatherly role and has to quietly breathe through his wife's tantrums. I can somewhat see that he loves and appreciates her, but her constant nagging about a record deal and wanting to drop it like it's hot is gnawing and childish. At one point, he stops her in her tracks and asks her to sing for him. I was excited by this request, as we have actually never really heard Tamar sing. But she shrinks back at the idea of belting out a tune for her man and immediately turns the subject back to what she wants to whine and complain about. Oy. Tamar says she wants to be sexy and "drop it like it's hot", she probably said that about 10 times, but if she's going to drop anything it needs to be an album first.

*Here is another one of pheleshia's weekly installments for the show Mob wives. Who's watching? Log in and join pheleshia's conversation!*

This week Mob Wives gives a starring role to some of the most influential people in America: the FBI and police! Yes fellow readers, there was an appearance by the authorities; which not only broke hearts but seemed to tear apart a family entity that was already hanging by a thread. The main focus of the show unfolds and reveals the stress of this situation played out in Renee's life. To her surprise (I said HERS not MINE) her ex-husband and father to her only child is one among 127 people arrested in a high profile mafia sting. As I watched this part of the episode, a piece of me felt sorry for her, while the other thought, why are you surprised?? Doesn't she know the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks!" I'm trying not to sound judgmental, but it's difficult in this situation considering the fact that the show is about mob life... the past and present! Does anyone understand where I'm coming from? You can feel free to tell me the truth. While she is trying to piece together the facts of the arrest, the strangeness of her relationship with her son becomes much more evident than in past episodes. Their ongoing conflict is definitely something that could be a topic of conversation at a therapist case review meeting. The interactions are strange! Am I the only person that feels this way? I can only hope that she addresses the relationship with her son during her therapy sessions. As the conflict over lack of support from her son ensues, Renee also begins to question her friendship with Carla and later Drita (they seemed to both take their sweet time going to her house to comfort/support her!). Shockingly she gets the support from a friend that she has considered to be quite the opposite! Karen decides, with her conscious in tow, to go and show her support to Renee. I was just as thrown off about this visit and show of support as Renee was when she opened the door and realized who was on the other side. Nevertheless, Karen is as qualified as any other of Renee's friends to show up there (not that I felt anyone else was going to make an effort.). Since the beginning of the show I have not seen her interact with anyone outside of her son, ex-husband and the other stars of the show. Where are her other friends? Better yet where is her sister... the one who pitched the show with her to VH1? They should be stuck together like glue seeing as though they are seen as traitors in their father's eyes! I'm also beginning to consider the fact that maybe there was contact with her sister and it just wasn't a part if the show. They can't show everything... not even the important things! As the episode comes to a close Renee finds herself disclosing to her therapist the fact that this "mob life" is no longer for her and has left her without an identity for years. I'm proud of her being able to identify this... let's just see if she is able to begin doing anything about it by the end of the season.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ding Dong! A couple different witches are dead. First and foremost I had to break out the champagne and the shot glasses when NeNe Leakes, Apprentice's big, bad bully and Star Jones' arch nemesis walked off the show, never to return. I had nothing to bad to say about it, only one thing good and that's GOOD-bye. NeNe did nothing but yell, demean her teammates and use her size to send off a very aggressive and inappropriate vibe. She claimed she left the show because Donald Trump seemed to be catering to Star Jones when he switched a couple players from one team to another. This is something that is routinely done at the half way mark of several reality competition shows. Celebrity Apprentice was down to the final five and although NeNe may feel that her abusive and abhorrent behaviour was good enough to keep us watching, Trump knew best by knowing that shaking up the teams is always good for drama and suspense. So NeNe jumps ship and I know she says she has good reason, but in the end she is a quitter and will go down in Apprentice history as such. That leaves the two teams as follows: Lil Jon, John Rich and Latoya Jackson on Backbone, and Marlee Matlin, Star Jones and Meatloaf on A.S.A.P. The celebs were given yet another fundraising task. They had to audition comics and then sell tickets to a comedy show. Whoever makes the most money wins. The men assumed (and rightfully so) that Latoya, with the use of her family's influence, would be able to rack in the big bucks and as project manager, her head was the only one on the chopping block when it was announced that Team Backbone lost the challenge. The obvious choice to go home was Latoya Jackson. She had the nerve to be on the phone with the Hiltons -- yes those Hiltons -- and only get $1,000 donation from them. Besides, she was the new kid on their block and just wasn't a strong enough player to stand a chance against the two Johns in the boardroom. The second task given was to promote On-Star's new product that is available to be purchased and installed in any vehicle. The teams had to create a commercial and naturally, put on a presentation for the company executives. Star took her usual seat behind the computer, Marlee was PM, but allowed Meatloaf to take creative control of the commercial which ended up leading to the team's demise. In a surprise twist however, their loss mostly weighed on the poor branding in the commerical, so the one thing that Star was known and heavily relied on for ultimately lead to her downfall and she was fired! So 3 go down in a 3 hour long show. The only ones left are Lil Jon and John Rich and Marlee and Meatloaf. Final four, baby. See you next week.

Monday, May 9, 2011

*Are u watching Real World? So is pheleshia! Log in and let her know what u think about this week's episode.*

One explosion begins to simmer as another one ignites and prepares to blow up! On tonight's episode the roommates have begun to deal with the information they gathered from Dustin's past. Basically going back to as "real" as they can be. Now don't get me wrong there were still questions and skepticism looming, especially from Mike, about Dustin's past. I'm going to pause for a moment and keep it "real" on how I feel about the Mike/Dustin situation. To be honest I thought Mike was the one "playing for the other team"! Yes I said it......who disagrees? If it's not that he wants Dustin then maybe it's the fact that he wants Heather? I don't know....don't really care! He needs to stop letting the dislike of Dustin engulf his time at the Hard Rock! If he stopped focusing so much on Dustin maybe he could find someone in his bed each night.... #imjustsayin'! Get over it Mike!!! In the midst of the hatred we find Naomi and Leroy dealing with a heavy subject! Nevertheless, one that they got themselves into on their own. I'm going to say that in regards to this situation "if you play with fire your gonna get burned!" Stop sleeping with people you hardly know then freak out about the possible consequences! It's over rated.. How about you actually go on the show and get to know someone first! Stop being an EASY access type of girl and an IRRESPONSIBLE male! Get it together. In the end so what Leroy apologized for not being there for Naomi. The actions of both show me that sleeping around with others unprotected is probably something they do at home because if they didn't why come on national T.V. and be irresponsible for the whole world to see??? Keep in mind they say that people are creatures of habit. Somewhere in between this lack of responsibility we find Dustin trying to salvage what may be a relationship, that is not going to go any further between him and Heather. Heather, confused, plays an up and down game with Dustin's emotions eventually telling him that she can never be with him again. What I wonder is did she make this decision after she messed up? I mean she did in fact become intimate with one of the roommates! Not to mention that it was a female roommate. I don't believe that liquor was the catalyst in this situation....there had too be some attraction there! Heather and Nany knew exactly what they were doing! So to end it all, revenge is sweet when the next explosion prepares to rear it's ugly head in the HARD ROCK home. Cooke, as conniving as they get, switches from being supportive of Heather to reaffirming the fact that she has an interest in Dustin. And yes all after she has slept with Dustin's friend in the beginning if tonight's episode! Once again....stop being easy ladies! The attraction to Dustin plays out in a kiss as the episode comes to a close. Next week we will see the jealousy in Heather as she learns of the intimacy that Cooke and Dustin have shared.....but who let the cat out of the bag? Leroy was the only one present for the kiss. Stayed tuned for this answer and the opinion if the show according to http://bubblepopworld.blogspot.com :)

This week we get introduced to the drama that plagues not only the RW but the viral world! As the episode begins Adam spreads the news to Nany about Dustin's escapades in the past and how it has now become a part of the viral world. Nany decides to keep the information to herself....well not totally too herself. As Nany informs Naomi of what she heard, Heather hears the information about Dustin via email from her own mother. All I could think at this point was damn son....that's crazy! Learning from my mother that this had happened would be unbelievable to me. At this point I begin to get frustrated, annoyed, sad and angry all at the same time! Let me say this though, none of these feelings are associated with the fact that Heather feels betrayed....she has every right to! Wouldn't you if you found out by someone else that the one you were falling for kept a secret such as this one from you? You might even want to get a bit physical....and not in the intimate way. I know I would feel like whooping someone's a@$! Nevertheless, I feel that there was an excess amount of judgement being made on Dustin. In addition, I felt as though Heather made some wrong steps in addressing this situation. definitely, she, opened up to the wrong people. Only surface feelings should have been expressed to the roommates. How many of is tell others how we feel only to be crucified when we change our feelings later on? I kept thinking is anyone, especially Heather, going to talk to him one-on-one instead of making him feel further ostracized? Then in walks in a person who decided to speak their mind.....good ole Leroy. Applause leaped from me as I witnessed Leroy pull Dustin aside to speak to him about what he had been hearing from OTHERS! I mean I didn't expect it to be Mike! In my opinion Mike's a hater...all Capitol letters. He doesn't count because he has disliked Dustin from the beginning. On the other hand we observe Leroy giving positive advice and expressing that he is not here to judge; just continue to support Dustin. That's what I call being a mature adult. Dustin, Leaving the roommates to take some space, elicits a reaction from the roommates that I didn't expect. I was shocked as they began to identify their feelings of empathy for Dustin. However, still along with some anger for him not speaking up before, they express the fact that Dustin should go home. What for? Would you go home? Towards the end of the episode Leroy turns the other cheek and states to Mike that he would like Dustin to leave! WTF! Weren't you the one talking about not judging? Also would it be safe to say that everyone should go home? I mean does anyone really tell everything about themselves on the show? If you believe they do then you are just as naive as Dustin's roommates! Eagerly awaiting the previews to next weeks episode I prepare myself for almost the same amount of judgement. Tune in next week when Heather gets back at Dustin through actions with another roommate. In addition we see the reality that manifests itself as Naomi and Leroy stop being "real" with each other and show us that being irresponsible never pays.

I'm watching The Today Show this morning and they're talking about Natalee Holloway. The blonde Alabama beauty who went on her senior trip to Aruba six years ago and was never seen again. Her body has never been found, but at this point, we realize she is dead, probably drugged, raped and murdered by some rich, drunk locals. Since then , the nation cannot forget about Natalee. The last videos of her replay in slo-motion, her eyes blink, her smile develops slowly, and it's a little hard to watch knowing that her youth and life was taken. Her mother's pain is tattooed across her face during each interview she gives. I've seen the Lifetime TV movie, I've watched all the Nancy Grace specials. I've followed the news stories about the boy who allegedly did it. Natalee Holloway belongs to America now. But America doesn't always adopt every little girl who doesn't make it back home. Surely one can argue that the media cannot cover every missing persons case. The question is which ones catch the media's eye and become a staple in our culture while other's barely get a mention... and why? If I say JonBenet Ramsey, Laci Peterson, Elizabeth Smart or Caylee Anthony you most likely know of their stories and can picture their smiling faces in your mind. You can probably tell me personal things about them as if they were your neighbor or a close family friend. But if I ask of Phylicia Barnes or Diamond and Tionda Bradley would you know who they were? Could you picture their pretty black faces in your mind? I mean no disrespect to any of the aforementioned deceased or kidnapped young women. They are all victims. But that's just my point. I have no choice but to play the race card here because the media makes race an issue by not giving equal time to missing black girls. They don't force their cases on us, they don't make us remember them so that we feel like they were a neighbor or a girl we went to school with. There are no Lifetime movies or 24 hour coverage on the court channel. There is just a brief blip on the news screen and we can google their names for local coverage if we want. We can dig through the headlines for the latest updates if we choose to do so. But the work is ours to do because there is a clear cut contradiction of services when it comes to young girls going missing and their race.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Jacob Lusk, our gospel great, has been eliminated from the American Idol stage. I will never forget when he sang "God Bless the Child". This song has been sung hundreds and thousands of times before, but it wasn't just the way he took us to a place of goosebumps and awe, it was when he collapsed into the arms of his family when he was done. It had taken everything out of him. Many people say, they "left their heart on the stage". That was the true definition. He sobbed when he was done, knowing he had given the judges all that he could give and it was one of those moments that will live on in Idol history forever. Randy himself said it was by far the greatest audition on Idol, and he's been there since the beginning, so there is no disputing that. I'm sorry to see Jacob go. We haven't seen anything like him since Fantasia really. His voice was raspy yet light, powerful and booming in the lower register, silky and adventurous when he sang high. I heard every time his gift took him out the atmosphere, which sometimes led to his losing his way. He was sometimes pitchy and wild (ie."I Believe I Can Fly") but he was the kind of contestant that garnered just as much love and adoration as he did negative comments and criticism. Unfortunately, unlike Fanatsia's "Summertime", Jacob never had another "God Bless the Child" moment on the voting stage. After a few weeks of him passionately taking us to church, Jacob began to reign himself in, maybe for fear of losing control completely. He landed in the bottom three week after week until he was finally sent home. I think we all saw it coming. But I pray and know in my heart that we haven't heard the last of Mr. Lusk. Jacob will be on tour with the rest of the top 11. I'm sure he will continue to make music and hopefully sell many albums as his career continues to blossom and evolve, just as his voice and his knowledge of self should.

So everybody wants to see Osama bin Laden with a bullet in his head. Well, at least 56% of Americans according to a recent poll. The White House says the images are gruesome and could incite adverse reactions, but the people still demand to see "proof". The movement behind the want to see bin Laden with his brains blown out says that without that picture, no one will believe that he's really dead. The White House has shown us photos of blood soaked linens, they've given us video of the bloody aftermath, but America wants to see the body before, during and after. The proof will always and forever be in the pudding. But just like with Obama's birth certificate, not everyone will be satisfied once it is revealed. Just hours after our President was forced to prove that he was a citizen of this country, born in Hawai'i, as American as apple pie, they say; the "birthers" flooded the air waves. They argued that President Obama's social security number had been changed and that the document presented was not an official birth certificate, rather, a certificate of live birth... (take a moment to figure that one out and then let me know because I don't get it either.) Trump decided he would do a complete 180 and begin to question Obama's scholastic skills. He claimed he heard it through the grapevine that Obama had terrible grades and wanted to know how he got into the prestigious higher learning institutions that he attended. So you see, you show the picture and the conspiracy theorists will say it's photoshopped and that's not really Osama. They'll say he's still alive, like Tupac and Elvis. They want to see the body being dumped into the sea, but then they'll say it was a dummy, just a prop used by the government to dupe us once again, like they did at Roswell. It's a common human trait to question what we cannot see and then turn around and dispel any substantial validation. It's been rooted in us since the beginning. Just ask God himself... if he does indeed exist.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The girls and their mother, Evelyn, are all gathering in L.A. to be together when Toni Braxton accepts an award from an organization for Lupus. Lupus is a disease that affects your immune system. Toni actually suffers from this condition but amazingly, not everyone in her family knows. Toni decides she is going to use this time to let everyone in on her true suffering, and that includes the public as well. The girls arrive at Tamar's "L.A. home" ready to hang out and spend some quality time, but Tamar puts a damper on that idea immediately, handing out a set of ridiculous rules and ordering her sisters around as soon as they walk in the door. The rules included directives such as : everyone must shower before sitting on any furniture, they should wash their hands as to stop the spread of germs, and everyone must go to sleep when Tamar goes to sleep... I couldn't wait for the show to get to the more serious and substantial plot, Tamar is just silly and I have to believe that she's just playing a character for the cameras. If not, then at this point, I'm just glad my last name isn't Braxton. The girls' brother, Mikey shows up as a surprise guest and the entire Braxton family are all under one roof for the week. They engaged in many tasks and errands, (filler for the hour-long show I would say). Tamar takes her mother to get Botox and fillers, then they gang up on oddball Traci and make her go to charm school. Tamar must have called her sister a hoodrat at least 5 times. "She was raised by a pack of rats. Hood rats." All of this leads to a poignant luncheon attended by Tamar, Trina and Toni. Tamar decides she is going to confront Trina about the intervention they held when they were concerned about Trina's drinking. Tamar asks why Trina shot her down every time she spoke. Trina tries to explain why she doesn't appreciate Tamar's take on the situation, and the mood changes further when Toni arrives and Tamar begins to bash Trina for still charging their superstar sister whenever they perform. Tamar says it is selfish of Trina to ask for a salary because family doesn't do that. I tried to imagine if I was a famous star and my family went on the road with me and actually performed a service. Would I pay them? I guess it would depend, but I think if I had the money, I most certainly would. It's obviously a hard call to make being that I'm not in the situation, but family or not, they have to make a living too. Toni reluctantly agrees with Tamar that when it comes to finances and taking care of their mother, Tamar is the only sister that has contributed. This opens the floodgates and Tamar beings to dramatically state that she has NEVER asked Toni to be paid. Toni becomes visibly upset by this subject. As we know, she has declared bankruptcy and has fallen on hard times. The arguing doesn't help either and she tells the girls that it literally makes her sick. We find out later of course that she is stricken with this disease Lupus and stress is not her friend. Later we see an emotional Tamar sobbing at the news that Toni is sick and then the entire Braxton family attends the event where Toni is presented with a special award. It was an emotional episode and yet again succeeded in raising familiar family issues. Whether you come from an affluent lifestyle, or are just a regular middle class group, the foundations of family pretty much remains the same. When times are tough or even when you're flying high, family should stick together and be there for each other, in sickness and in health.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

All good things must come to an end and the same goes for Love & Hip Hop. Last night's finale was somewhat uneventful, especially after the nail biting last couple of weeks. Chrissy is still rationalising the lackluster result to her proposal to Jim Jones. Jim obviously doesn't want to get married and thinks he has just the answer to quell his lady's looming nuptial plans. Jim writes Chrissy a song. It's actually a very sweet song, he seems to love her very much. After being together for six years or so, they're sure to have plenty of memories, good and bad and he raps about their life together beautifully. Jimmy invites Olivia to sing on the hook and voila! Wedding diverted. Jim takes Chrissy out for a romance filled date, (roses and hotel room included). But when he plays the song for her, Chrissy's reaction knocked all of us girls living in fantasy land right back down the the cold and unreliable earth. "He's written songs for me before", she shrugs. It reminded me of Faith and Biggie's characters in the movie "Notorious". Whenever Biggie was in trouble with his girl, he would beat box her name and make a little song and she would forgive him every time... except for the last time. Chrissy's not going to leave Jim any time soon, but his song, which would have melted any unknowing girl's heart, is not enough wool for Chrissy's eyes. She sees right through it. She wants to be a wife, and a mother, and she wants a five year plan. I just hope she can handle the fact that a ring sometimes really "doesn't mean a thing". Another ring-less girlfriend (or "stylist" depending on who's telling it) is Emily. After Fabolous stood her and their kids up for a family photo shoot and blamed it on the tv cameras, she still doesn't seem to get it. She keeps questioning their relationship, all the while having to chase down rumours of his infidelity and keep the foundation of a crumbling home together in her head. She says things like, "I shouldn't be mad because I know it's not true" and "When we're home together, we're so happy." And I don't know whether to feel sorry for her or just throw my hands up and tend to my own business. She just might be a lost cause. I'm sure the other girls profiled on the show see the pattern but choose not to come right out and say it. Olivia's still singing about being a jilted mistress in the ho hum tune, December. (Yawn). Meanwhile, her manager confronts Somaya "Boss" Reece regarding comments she made about the singer on a controversial hip hop website. Somaya holds her own against the verbal assault, I'm sure she's been cursed out and called a bitch before. The whole thing was ridiculous and based on Olivia's manager's fear and paranoia. He declared during the "December" video shoot that he was paying for everything out of pocket because he "believes in Liv". So the idea that Somaya bad talking Olivia online was messing with his money came from a place of nerves and emotion. We last see Somaya packaging her mixed tape and making some speech about how she's going to take over the world (or something like that). Love & Hip Hop ends with Chrissy, Emily and Olivia at a slumber party, complete with pajamas and ponytails (and more make up and cleavage than a rap video). Chrissy plays her song for the girls and Emily can only wish Fab would do the same for her. The girls then raise their glasses and toast to.... that's right you guessed it -- love and hip hop. And thus the short lived series ends.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The task this week was to put on a hair show... but wait, before the teams could even branch off and begin to brainstorm, NeNe Leakes shows her truest colors. She towers over the rest of her team, explosive and irate. She complains that Star is manipulative and "backstabbing". She states that Star dictates who the Project Manager will be each week and everyone just bows down to her command. She calls Hope a puppet and says the rest of the team may be afraid to stand up to her, but she will. However, with all that being said, NeNe still tells Mr. Trump that she will take the job as PM. So even if Star is all that NeNe says she is, looks like it's working. I still don't understand why NeNe was so upset. If she didn't want to be Project Manager, she should have just said no. Calling her teammates puppets and weak players wasn't exactly the best way to start off a challenge, but to me the worst offense was doing in front of Donald Trump, THE CLIENT and the men's team. NeNe was classless and laid it out there for all to see, unprofessional and loud, she displayed all the traits of the stereotypical angry black woman. It was hard to watch. She should have been fired on the spot, I say. This may be reality TV, but what prospective employee would act like that in front of her potential boss, and what respectful employer would observe such nasty behavior and not show the offender the door? But firing NeNe wouldn't make for good TV, now would it? Fast forward to the task at hand and you'll find the men working well together. John Rich and Lil John have a great bond, and their minds are creative and work fast. For example, John Rich picks up the phone and calls Nikki Taylor, an ex-member of the girls' team, and asks her to model in their show! Brilliant. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hope remains quiet and doesn't defend herself, Star is devilishly smirking, knowing that she is on the right track... the track to winning the whole show. NeNe seems stressed out, but being miserable usually leaves you that way. Shoot to Trump's office, and who should saunter in but Latoya Jackson. She's back to ask for a second chance, and Trump, admitting that he's "never done this before and will never do it again", obliges and puts her on the men's team! After the hair show performances, the men's team wins and NeNe promises, as she had throughout the entire program, a blowout of a showdown in the boardroom. So I pull up my chair (not literally, I was on the couch) and I get ready to witness NeNe embarrass herself. I expect her to scream and carry on and use the word "backstabbing" as an adjective. But, stop the presses! A crawl appears at the bottom of the screen that the President has an announcement to make and will be doing so very shortly. I never imagined this mystery message would take place in the middle of the boardroom deliberations! Of course, the news comes to us that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan and sadly, we were never returned to our regularly scheduled program. The president, by the way, never took to his pulpit until after Apprentice would have been over, but the networks broke in to the show anyway to recycle the same news over and over until Obama finally confirmed it to be true. *sigh* American media: "You gotta love 'em." I do have to admit, the irony of the President cutting Trump's tv show short after all that birth certificate nonsense was fitting. I learned later that Hope was ultimately fired. That leaves Star, NeNe and Marlee on the women's team and Latoya Jackson, Lil Jon, John Rich and Meatloaf on the men's team. I'm almost afraid to see what's going to happen next week...

Monday, May 2, 2011

*pheleshia's weekly review keeps us up to date with the latest 'Mob Wives' drama! Are you watching? Tell us what you think!*

The second episode of Mob Wives takes us back to the ending of the first, when all hell was breaking loose at Carla's birthday party! We saw in a sneak peek, Drita's expression of anger towards Renee, through strangulation, we then witness the art of editing at it's best! Oh, how they tricked us into believing that it was Drita putting her hand around Renee's neck......shame on them! I have to give credit where credit is due though, the editing is what got most if us, including me, to tune in for the episode! As the argument fizzled we moved on to exploring other relationships among the wives. The interaction between Renee and her ex-husband seems to mimic that of relationships we observe on a daily basis. I define it as two people co-parenting....the only difference is that the Mob is a part of their lives. I am just a bit concerned about the relationship between Renee and her son. Their interactions, quite truthfully, seem strange! She seems to depend on him more than he can depend on her! Therapy needed? (#imjustsayin') Next we see the impact of being married to the mob life. Drita and her husband, who is incarcerated, spend time in this episode arguing via telephone. I empathize with Drita's anger....she just wants her husband home! I would feel the same way especially if I kept being given different dates of my husband return. As she continues to battle it out with her husband, she finds comforts in the relationships with the other ladies....minus Renee (I can't wait to see how their relationship gets back on track!) One of the most interesting relationships for me right now, minus Renee and Karen, is the "friendship" between Drita and Karen. Now you might be saying why did I say "friendship" as if it may not be real. Well, I believe it's not to some extent! How many of us have come to realize that while Drita is saying she is so happy about her relationship with Karen, and being able to discuss her issues with her husband, Karen is behind the scenes saying that Drita and her need to talk. She feels Drita was wrong for dating her previous boyfriend and then marrying him. All the while never leaving out the part that Karen and Drita's husband were dating and living together for seven years! My vote is that they are NOT really that close. We will have to wait and see what happens. While all of this took place, Carla kept to herself for the majority of this episode. I don't blame her because we all have our own drama that we deal with so why get involved I'm others? As we prepare for next week, we see that the FED's make a first appearance and shake up the story line! Or is this what they want us to think? Will editing play another role in the upcoming week? We will just have to wait and see. Until next my lovely Mob fanatics!

It was announced last night by our president, Barack Obama, that Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a covert military op by this country's finest Navy Seals. Osama bin Laden. The name synonymous to most in this country with evil itself. The man who incited such sentiments as "death to America" and introduced many of us to the idea that death was nothing to fear as long as it is for and in the name of God. There is not one person who cannot remember where they were and what they were doing the day planes started flying into buildings and crashing into the earth. The surrealism of that day, September 11, 2001, still remains to be one of the most outrageous, unexplainable, unpredictable catastrophes we have ever seen in our lifetime. And the man who claimed the fame and stood behind it all, was Osama bin Laden, head of Al Qaeda, minister of all things noxious and vile. Therefore the American military has dedicated the last nine and a half years to finding and killing him. They say to kill the snake you have to cut off the head. So the cult has been beheaded, but we all must surely know that terrorism is not dead and will not die suddenly with this singular act. I guess my reaction to this is more than slightly opposite of the massive crowds that gathered last night. Once the news spread, Americans took to the streets, waving flags and chanting, "USA!" They danced, they wept, they celebrated and I watched them, never once feeling victorious or proud. Our troops had a mission and they completed it almost flawlessly, and for that I can acknowledge an actual accomplishment. I would never diminish that. 3,000 people died on 9/11. I will never forget. But what now? What's next? Osama bin Laden was one man with plenty of influence. We may have cut off the head, but I wonder if instead of withering away, will the rest of the snake repair itself, sprout a new head and carry on even stronger or more determined to strive? If we think Al Qaeda is horrendous, what about the "extreme" extremists? There are always the members of a group who stray a little more to one side than the other and when you're carrying out your deeds in the name of your God, it's almost as if anything goes. So I will not be dancing in the streets, on the other hand, I won't be self-righteous and critical of the difficult positions we must face in this war on terror either. I will be watching and waiting cautiously for the next chapter and no matter what the government tells me, I will always be on high alert.